Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

Socialize

Patent No. 3313442A: Wooden Bung For Beer Barrel

By

patent-logo
Today in 1967, US Patent 3313442 A was issued, an invention of Raymond J. Wurzelbacher, for his “Wooden Bung For Beer Barrel.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The present invention embodies certain of the principles of the compression by rolling method just described. However, a materially improved bung is provided in that the tapered edges of the rollers have formed thereon a series of ridges and grooves which in turn impart a ridged and grooved construction to the bung blanks compressed by the rollers. It has been found that the provision of a series of closely adjacent ridges extending peripherally around the sides of the bung blank and compressed provide a materially improved bung insofar as concerns tight securance in the bushing and the prevention of leakage. This is partly due to the fact that each ridge, in effect, constitutes a separate gasket sealing the sides of the bung blank against the bushing or bung hole. Additionally, since all parts of the ridged surface are compressed the total area of compression is a great deal larger than on the ordinary smooth surface bung so that when liquid is applied to the grooves between the ridges, the expansion occurs much more rapidly and more completely than in the case of a smooth surface. There is also an increased and uniform denseness over the entire side surfaces because the depth of the grooves is uniform and more compression is required to from them than would be the case with smooth surfaces.

In order to manufacture a bung of the type to which the invention relates, it is necessary to use a rolling process and it is also necessary to insert the bung blank between the rollers in the same plane as the rollers and in a direction opposed to the rollers axes.

Accordingly, one of the objects of the invention has been to provide a hung for a beer barrel, the sides of which contain a plurality of closely adjacent parallel compressed ridges and corresponding grooves.

Another object has been to provide a wooden bung for a beer barrel in which the sides of the bung are compressed over an area substantially greater than the distance between the upper surface and lower surface of the bung.

Another object has been to provide a bung in which the sides are denser and the degree of denseness is more uniform than in the case of a smooth sided bung.

US3313442-0

Beer In Ads #1877: The Boss Comes To Dinner

By


Sunday’s ad is entitled The Boss Comes To Dinner, and the illustration was done in 1947 by John Falter. It’s #8 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, it portrays another uncomfortable scene. A young couple entertains an older gentlemen who is presumably the boss of the younger man. They sit pretty far apart, each with a beer, while the wife sits demurely in between doing her knitting. Doesn’t that look like fun?

008. The Boss Comes to Dinner by John Falter, 1947

Patent No. 2547988A: Process For Improving The Foam Of Fermented Malt Beverages And Product Obtained Thereby

By

patent-logo
Today in 1951, US Patent 2547988 A was issued, an invention of Hilton B. Levy, Arthur L. Schade and James S. Wallerstein, for his “Process For Improving the Foam of Fermented Malt Beverages and Product Obtained Thereby” for beer bottles. There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The present invention relates to fermented malt beverages and more particularly to beverages of this type characterized by the capacity for forming a. stable, that is, a long-lived foam.

It is accordingly the general object of the present invention to provide fermented malt beverages Whose foam-head is longer-lasting in character than the foam-head produced by the normal components of these beverages as at present manufactured.

It is a further object of the invention to improve a persistent or enduring foam which he lasting qualities of the foam-head of fermented beverages by adding to such beverages at any suitable time in the course ,of their manufacture, but preferably after the fermenting and initial or coarse filtering, but prior to the storage period, a small quantity of a soluble non-toxic carboxy-methyl cellulose, preferably in the form of its alkali metal salt, such as the sodium and potassium salts.

We have now discovered that the foam of beer may be prolonged in a simple and economical manner by the addition to the beer of, small amounts of a water-soluble, heat-stable form of carboxy-methyl cellulose, as, for example, the

sodium salt of such material. This is commonly called cellulose gum, and, is a completely harmless and edible material. When solutions of, for example, sodium carboxy-methyl cellulose are added to beer in a concentration of 5 to 200 parts per million, the duration of the foam is greatly increased and a persistent froth is produced which endures for as much as several hours. Preparations of the sodium carboxy-methyl cellulose are particularly valuable when they are of a high viscosity type, and they increase the foam duration period many times.

beer_foam

First Casualty Of Cuban Tourism: Beer Shortages

By

cuba
You’ve no doubt seen the news that we’ve finally relaxed travel restrictions to Cuba, along with many other changes to our policies regarding the island nation. Last summer, the two countries agreed to reopen embassies on their respective soil, and re-establish diplomatic relations. President Obama recently visited Cuba, the first American head of state to do so since 1928, 88 years ago. Despite the travel ban, small numbers of Americans had been visiting Cuba by going through Mexico or other countries where travel there is not restricted. But now that it’s legal again, record numbers are visiting, leading to the first real problem caused by this influx of American tourists. According to Mashable, Tourists are drinking all of Cuba’s beer.

“The first clear sign that Cuba will have difficulty keeping up with the influx of American tourists — certain only to increase as restrictions are loosened — is a beer shortage.

Good job, America.”

cuban-beer

Patent No. 4148873A: Method For Treating The Skin With Extracts Of Hops

By

patent-logo
Today in 1979, US Patent 4148873 A was issued, an invention of Joseph L. Owades, assigned to S. S. Steiner, Inc., for his “Method For Treating the Skin with Extracts of Hops.” Here’s the Abstract:

There is provided a new method of treating human skin to protect said skin from erythema-producing sunlight radiation while promoting tanning thereof, the method comprising using an active sunscreening ingredient, an ultraviolet radiation absorbing extract of hops.

This seems similar to another patent Owades was granted in 1981, Patent No. 1112183A1: Humulus Lupulus (Hops) Extract As Sunscreen Agent. That patent appears to have expired in 1998, and I’m not sure if his sunscreen was ever available commercially. This one’s more of a skin treatment, and I did find one that claims to use hop extracts, Balancing Oil Free Skin Conditioning Serum. While it doesn’t say so on the product’s main page, on another one, Benefits of Hops in Natural Skin Care, in which they state that “Lily Farm Fresh Skin Care utilizes the benefits of hops in Balancing Oil Free Skin Conditioning Serum. This multi-tasking product is for people who both do not want oil in a moisturizer and people and who are struggling with blemishes and wrinkles. They need a cure for both with one product. Balancing Oil Free Skin Conditioning Serum conditions and firms the skin while also healing and moisturizing.” So maybe that’s it, hard to say.

Organic-Balancing-Oil-Free-Skin-Conditioning-Serum

Beer In Ads #1876: Horseshoe Pitching

By


Saturday’s ad is entitled Horseshoe Pitching, and the illustration was done in 1947 by John Falter. It’s #7 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, the art is more stylized than in the previous ones. It’s also a product of its time. The menfolk are off in the yard on the side of the house playing horseshoes and drinking beer, while all of the women are on the front porch, undoubtedly gossiping. At least two are just watching the men play. I certainly remember how at family gatherings in the 1960s, when I was little, after a big meal like Thanksgiving, all of the men in my family would retreat to the living room to watch football, while all the women stayed behind to clean up. That would never happen in my house today.

007. Horseshoe Pitching by John Falter, 1947

Patent No. 5505018A: Decorative Beer Dispenser For Killing Slugs

By

patent-logo
Today in 1996, US Patent 5505018 A was issued, an invention of G. R. Parker, for his “Decorative Beer Dispenser For Killing Slugs.” Here’s the Abstract:

A decorative beer dispenser with a weighted base and storage vessel constructed of a single piece of blow molded beer impervious material in a decorative shape defining a base compartment, and a reservoir compartment; said base having a top defining a shallow drip reservoir filled with beer to attract snails, slugs, and the like to ingest beer and be killed; and said reservoir compartment structured to store and continuously deliver beer into the drip reservoir.

US5505018-1
US5505018-2

Bistro IPA Festival Winners 2016

By

bistro
Today was only a little wet in Hayward for the 19th annual IPA Festival at the Bistro. It was perfect beer-drinking weather once we emerged from judging in the basement all morning. This year’s big winner was Today Was a Good Day IPA, from Pizza Port Carlsbad, which was chosen best in show, out of 64 IPA offerings. The full list of winners is below.

SAM_5053
Perfect Beer Drinking Weather.

Beer In Ads #1875: Picnic On A California Beach

By


Friday’s ad is entitled Picnic on a California Beach, and the illustration was done in 1947 by John Gannam (and here’s some of his other work). It’s #6 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, a group of people — I count 14 — are having an nighttime party on a California beach. It looks like a cool, windy evening and many of them are wearing overcoats, although they also seem to be wearing bathing suits, which suggests they’ve been there all day. It looks like reinforcements are arriving, with a cooler being carried in to keep the party going.

006. Picnic On a California Beach by John Gannam, 1947